SKF says it has delivered its Bus Door Actuator – an actuator system that enables smooth opening and closing of bus doors – to Volvo Buses.
Developed in cooperation with Volvo Buses, the actuator requires 80-90% less energy than a pneumatic door system, reducing the fuel consumption by around 2%.
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This reduction equates to a savings of 1.9t of CO2 per year, says SKF, compared to a bus using pressurised air to open and close the doors. Volvo Buses introduced the door actuator on the Volvo 7900 Hybrid bus last month at the IAA exhibition in Hannover, Germany.
“This development is a sustainable mechatronics solution for the bus segment,” said SKF Automotive president, Tryggve Sthen. “We are pleased to have worked closely with Volvo Buses on this solution.
“This shows SKF’s commitment to develop solutions that help customers reduce negative environmental impact by improving energy efficiency and enabling improved fuel economy.”
For his part, Volvo Buses environment director, Edward Jobson, said: “This solution gives a significant improvement to the environmental load of our vehicles over their life cycle.
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By GlobalData“You could compare the fuel savings with reducing the weight of the bus by around 500-700kg.”
Delivery of the components will begin in Q1, 2013. SKF manufactures the SKF Bus Door Actuator in Gothenburg, Sweden.
